It did not explain why the matter was not handled by a local police force, but said it was conducting an internal investigation into the incident. It also issued its condolences to the family.

Ma leapt to her death about 8pm on Thursday. She had been in the late stages of pregnancy and had requested a caesarean delivery. According to earlier reports, her family refused permission for such a procedure and insisted on a natural birth.

Ma’s relatives, however, claimed that it was the hospital that refused to carry out a C-section, according to a report by Beijing News on Wednesday.

“She was in such pain that I couldn’t hold her up for much longer,” Ma’s husband Yan was quoted as saying

“She said she didn’t want a natural delivery, and needed a C-section. I said, OK then, let’s get a C-section.”

However, the hospital said in a second statement, issued to “clarify the situation”, that it had documentary evidence showing Ma’s family refused to give consent for a C-section on three separate occasions.

It also said that Ma and her husband had signed an “informed consent” declaration on August 30, agreeing to go ahead with a natural delivery despite knowing the risks.

Photographs of the documents were included in the Weibo post, along with an image of another form signed by the couple that gave Ma’s husband sole responsibility to authorise any surgical procedures she needed to undergo.